TripAdvisor’s metasearch to power hotel price comparison on Bing

TripAdvisor’s price comparison tools

TripAdvisor announced two new experiences with Microsoft, through which TripAdvisor’s reviews, ratings, photos and other content will be embedded into both the search engine results display on Bing.com and Bing Smart Search results on Windows 8.1 devices. These experiences will make it easy for people to move from thinking about where they want to travel to being ready to book in a matter of seconds.

As a result of the partnership, TripAdvisor’s price comparison tools, traveller reviews and photos are now embedded into the search engine results display on Bing.com for the first time.

This allows people to quickly and easily compare hotel prices and availability via Bing’s search results page, which now displays live pricing information from a range of global booking partners, provided by TripAdvisor’s industry-leading metasearch tool.

In addition, the new look features enable users to easily view TripAdvisor’s more than 125 million reviews and opinions covering more than 3.1 million accommodations, restaurants and attractions worldwide within Bing search results.

It is the first time TripAdvisor has partnered with a search engine to provide traveller ratings and reviews with a live price availability tool within search results. As a result, Bing users will be able to quickly view the most relevant information needed to plan their next trip - 93% of travellers worldwide say online reviews have an impact on their booking decisions, according to the world’s largest accommodation and traveller survey.

“Research shows that hotel prices can differ by as much as 25 percent between different booking providers and we are focused on helping travellers make an informed decision,” said Nathan Clapton, vice president of global mobile partnerships, TripAdvisor. “By offering Bing users an easy way to find the best hotel prices and see reviews, rating and photos from other travellers directly on Bing, we are enhancing the search and planning experience, and hopefully saving them time and money.”

“We are very pleased to welcome the resources of TripAdvisor,” said Gurpreet S. Pall, Engineering Manager, Bing Local Search, Microsoft. “We developed special Bing search features to help customers find the best deals on hotels and flights, research global destinations, and find useful information to make informed decisions about their travel arrangements. We are confident TripAdvisor’s offerings will be a valuable resource for Bing searchers.”

In addition, TripAdvisor is introducing its first app for Windows 8.1. The app, available now for download through the Windows Store, includes a host of features designed to help travellers plan and have the perfect trip. TripAdvisor’s new app for Windows 8.1 is optimised for touch, and is among the first to integrate with Bing Smart Search, which enables you to tap or click directly into the app when it is relevant to whatever you’re searching for.

By integrating directly into Bing Smart Search, the new TripAdvisor app will now show up as a result for relevant travel-related searches. Additionally, when you search in Windows 8.1, content such as hotel ratings and reviews from within the TripAdvisor app is presented within results to give people an at-a-glance view of what’s available when they open the app itself. With just a single tap or click, consumers will then have instant access to the TripAdvisor app’s content and features, including its Hotel Price Comparison search tool.

Launched in June 2013, TripAdvisor’s all-in-one Hotel Price Comparison search is the first to combine real-time pricing and availability with the more than 125 million original reviews and opinions of TripAdvisor travellers. The tool displays an easy-to-read layout of pricing and availability from multiple booking partners in one view.